The foremost Canadian sculptor of his time, Hébert was born at Sainte-Sophie de Mégantic. In the studio of Napoléon Bourassa he carved in wood the images that adorn the Ottawa cathedral and Notre Dame of Montreal. His first major works in bronze were statues of Salaberry, erected at Chambly, and Cartier, which stands on Parliament Hill. He won particular renown for the façade of the Quebec legislative buildings, for his Maissoneuve [sic] and his Bourget in Montreal, for his Jeune Femme, and for the Macdonald monument in Ottawa. He was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1883. He died in Montreal.